A truly one-of-a-kind item is up for bid: a 1.5-inch section of Bob Marley’s dreadlock is being listed by UK-based JC Auctions, with an estimated cost of £20,000 to £25,000 GBP (over $30,000 USD). According to the item description, the lock of hair was acquired by the consignor as a teenager and is paired with a signature that reads, “To Andrea, Love Bob Marley.” 

Delving into the history behind the package, they are said to have been acquired at the filming of Top of the Pops at the BBC’s Television Centre in London on June 22, 1978. It’s listed as “Impossibly rare,” and “the first genuine example of Bob Marley’s hair to come up for sale in 20 years.” 

The consignor shares:

Back in the day you were permitted to get on stage at Top of the Pops with the bands. After Bob Marley had finished singing, myself and a friend went up onto the platform where he was performing. He was chuckling away and I asked if I could take off a piece of his hair. He just kept nodding and chuckling and appeared amused by it so I twisted a piece of his dreadlock off. And he of course gave me his autograph as well. I’ve kept it in my autograph album ever since.

In addition, the lot winner will also take home the Top of the Pops promotional flyer, which was inscribed with the wrong date by the original proprietor, as noted: “A youthful error on the consignor’s part reveals she wrote the incorrect date on the flyer. The filming actually took place on June 22, 1978, not June 2.” 

For the event, Marley and The Wailers shared a bill with Black Sabbath, Heatwave, Showaddywaddy, Brotherhood of Man, San Jose, and Thin Lizzy. Marley and his band’s contributions accounted for a rendition of “Satisfy My Soul.” 

Learn more and bid here.